Avatar: Rogalian
by Jacob1786
Summary: 14 year old Cas from District 5 spends his days sitting around; at school, at home… and on the train to the Capitol for the 99th Annual Hunger Games. A mere chi-blocking novice on his way to an arena full of element wielding kids?The odds couldn't be any more out of his favour. Or so he thinks. The people have never seen a Games like this one. Rated M for violence & strong language
1. Chapter 1

"Come on Cas, get up, break's over."

"What? I _literally_ just sat down!"

"Casimir. _Casimir._ Stand up. You need to be sharp, today of all days…"

"Yeah, my _birthday!_ I don't deserve this treatment on the day of my birth—"

"On the day of your birth you did nothing except be born! Your mum did all the work. If anything, she should be the one who gets presents."

"Yeah, well. When you put it like that."

Casimir Meusil huffed in defeat, stood up in front of his dad and got into his default sparring stance. His father's face was stern, but his eyes, as always, were soft.

"Today's not just your birthday Cas," he said, gravely

Casimir dipped his head, "I know, dad."

With a nod, they began sparring again, trying to place controlled blows on specific points in the body to block each other's chi. Casimir and his parents were non-benders, so chi-blocking and weapons were all they had in terms of offensive skills. And weapons were, naturally, banned by the Peacekeepers. At 14 years old Casimir was a tall, wiry boy for his age. In his parents' dojo wearing a loose fitting keikogi, he stood at 5"7', already taller than his mother. He was fast; movements swift and seemingly effortless in both offense and evasion of his father's precise finger strikes. This only lasted a short while, though. Despite his training, Casimir was terribly unfit. Most of his days were spent sitting: sitting in school, sitting at the computer at home, sitting in the library, sitting at the dinner table, sitting in front of the holovision. While he had managed to hit some of his father's pressure points, Casimir was losing ground and fading fast. After expending what little stamina he had, his dodges were half a second too slow and his attacks became predictable enough for his opponent to parry. Soon enough, he was back on the floor again panting hard. His father's strikes had been so effective, he couldn't even lift his arms to rub at the bruises that were sure to form.

"That'll have to do for today, you need to get washed up," Mr Meusil said with a smile. Casimir's head snapped up wearing an expression of disbelief. "How the hell am I supposed to do that when you took away my arms?!"

"Stop exaggerating Cas, you still have your arms," his father frowned "and watch your language. If your mother heard that, she might actually take one."  
Casimir scoffed "Now who's exaggerating?"

Living in District 5, one of the wealthier districts of Panem, all children were pushed to study with a view to support the Capitol's extravagant power needs. Be that through nuclear power or hydroelectric, all the career paths were linked to providing energy. Casimir's sister, for example, was one of the workers at the hydro electrical power plant. Jena did not, in fact, actually _need_ to work. Being a victor of the Games a few years ago, she simply wanted an excuse to use her waterbending for something other than combat. It was for this reason that Casimir sought her out; on a day like today nobody but the Peacekeepers would be at work. Lucky for him he didn't have to knock on her door, it was wide open.

"Hey Jen, can I ask you a favour?" he asked sheepishly.

Jena smiled brightly at the sight of her brother,

"Good morning Casimir, and happy birthday!" she beamed, pulling her little brother into a hug only to extract herself slowly in mock disgust, "You're all sweaty."

"That's part of the favour actually. Can you bend the sweat off me and my clothes please? Dad chi-blocked my arms and I don't have time to shower before, you know…"

His older sister's smile faltered, "Yeah. Okay, it can be my gift you, you lazy tramp."

Cas plastered a weak smile on his face and tried to lift his arms to give her more access, but barely managed a shrug, earning a laugh.

"Don't worry about it. Hold still, okay?"

He nodded while his sister bent the water from his sweaty gi, then from his skin, which made him giggle. It was an odd, tickly sensation, like being dried by a thousand tiny little towels. When she was done, she bent the water into a vase with some Marigolds in them and turned back to her brother.

"Anything else I can help you with today, birthday boy?"

"Want some help getting dressed?"

"Please,"

Half an hour later, the Meusil family were walking among a crowd of people in District 5 towards the Mayor's building, for the ceremony. It was for this reason that Casimir's birthday was always bittersweet: it fell on Reaping Day. It began with the fear of being reaped, then the relief that it was not him for another year, followed swiftly by the guilt he felt for feeling that way. No matter what, another child was being sent to die. As the time came for Casimir to be separated from his family, he stopped to give them all tight, reassuring hugs and then left to join the rest of the prospective male tributes. When his parents and sister were out of view, he let out a deep sigh. He wasn't ever really one to believe in fate, but if there was ever a time for him to be reaped it would _have_ to be now.

When his sister Jena was herself 14, she was reaped for the Games. She won by forming alliances with a firbending and earthbending girl. They were the last surviving 3, having killed every other group who could not compete with the versatility of a team made of 3 different elements. Jena's two allies died when the gamemakers released a horde of badgermole muttations into the arena. It had taken years for her to deal with the guilt of it all, not just as a survivor, but as a murderer. The way she killed her opponents was unique and brutal, even for a waterbender. Jena's skill was what enabled her to survive, but her personality was what drew people to her, how she formed her alliances that grew into close bonds. There were few non-career tributes in the history of the Games that formed teams of multiple elements, even fewer that worked as a cohesive unit.

6 years later, and the sibling of a victor, Casimir couldn't help but wonder if history was going to repeat itself. At the podium looking forlorn, stood Ethan Klein, the Escort for District 5. He was an excellent showman when the cameras were on, but until then, he wore his heart on his sleeve for the children and their families. Like all of the Capitol's inhabitants, he dressed extravagantly. Today he was adorned in deep purple & blue-green Peacock Pidgeon feathers with black Shirshu fur covered boots. In front of the stage, firebending peacekeepers stood in their mud red uniforms, some looking stern and others looking bored. Soon, a fanfare was blaring across the courtyard filled with adolescents, and like a switch being flicked, Ethan went from sympathetic citizen to excitable host.

"Welcome everyone to District 5's reaping ceremony! It's so good to see all you young boys and girls here, dressed so smartly and all ready and willing to do your home district- and dare I say your country- proud." Ethan paused with a synthetic smile, his voice echoing in the quiet, "Now, as always, let's watch the video from the Capitol."

A large holovision screen appeared behind the Escort and he twirled 180 degrees to face it. Casimir grimaced, this video always made him feel more hopeless than he already did. Watching the history of the Games, knowing that the uprising lead by the Avatar against the Fire Nation after more than 7 decades of civil unrest had failed. That the Avatar was no more after being murdered while in the Avatar State, and that the Air Nation were punished for harbouring her in District 13 through the total annihilation of that area. It was soul destroying. At the end, Ethan applauded, dutifully followed by the Peacekeepers, but no citizen of District 5 lifted their hands.

"What a moving tale," Ethan boomed into the microphone, "Now, moving swiftly on to the reason we are all here today: reaping! I have here the names of every eligible male and female aged 12 to 18 in here, and in mere minutes, two of you will be lucky enough to represent your home town and make them proud!" with a spring in his step, he pranced over to the glass bowl filled to the brim with the names of all of the girls. Moving swiftly, he plucked a scrap of paper from the dead centre, as he did every year, unfolded it and read it out clearly.

"Ursule White,"

A short, sturdy looking girl who looked to be about Casimir's age stomped to the stage without fear. In fact, she looked Ethan dead in the eye and didn't break contact as she made her way towards him. A cry rose up from the gathered families and the Peacekeepers noticeably tensed, but Ursule didn't pay any attention to it. She looked furious. The anger she felt seemed to roll off of her, and Casimir could have sworn he felt the earth tremble under his feet. Once he was joined by Ursule onstage, the Escort reached his hand into the boys' bowl, pulling out another strip of paper. The non-bender shivered and his fingers twitched. He almost had all the feeling back in his arms, but right in that moment, his entire body was numb with fear.

"And for the boys…"

He closed his eyes.

"Casimir Meusil!"

"I fucking knew it!" he cursed, only to slap his hand to his mouth with wide eyes. What would his mother say? The boys around him parted to give him access to the stage, and he took it, quickly. Running through the crowd and leaping up the steps two at a time, he muttered a quick apology to Ethan for swearing live on holovison who looked equal parts amused and confused. He didn't even give anyone the chance to volunteer for him- not that they would have.

"An eager beaver, eh? Well that's not something we see every Reaping! Congratulations to you both Casimir and Ursule, may the spirits be your guide."

It wasn't until Casimir was ushered into a waiting room by two Peacekeepers and left there while they went to collect his family, that he realised what had just happened. He was going to leave District 5 for the first time in his life. He was going to die, almost certainly. There was no advantage to being a non-bender in the Games. No non-bender had _ever_ been crowned Victor.

"I wonder how many potential sponsors I just lost for swearing," he groaned, dropping his face into his hands. This was how his parents found him as they were lead into the chamber, sitting on the soft carpet in what they correctly assumed was despair. They rushed over to him, and knowing time was short, his mother scooped him up into her arms.

"My baby boy, my baby boy…" she wailed, clutching her son closer to her chest "They just won't leave our family alone!" The skinny teen wriggled his arms out of her vice grip to return the hug with equal fervour.

"No, they won't. But I'm sure Ursule's family feels the same, if not worse."

"What are you talking about, Cassy?" Mrs Meusil asked, loosening her grip a little so she could pull back and see her son's frown.

"The girl who was reaped before me, Ursule… This will be the third time someone from her family has been chosen."

"That's right," his father spoke up, "Her cousin and her sister were reaped at two different Games... but none of them came back like our Jena did."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?!" his mother bristled, "You think I should be eternally grateful that the Capitol hasn't killed any of my family members yet? That I had a daughter who came back ' _victorious_ ', so sending another child out to almost certain death is no skin off my back?"

"Darling, please." Mr Meusil said softly, placing a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder, "Don't yell at him, he's not to blame here,"

"I wasn—"

"And," he interrupted carefully, "I doubt very much that Casimir wants to remember your goodbye like this," She deflated a little after that.

"Nah, it's alright," Casimir grinned, nudging his mother with his elbow, "It's nice to see you care so much about me, mum."

"I do, of course I do! We both care about you so much more than our words or actions could ever tell," She pulled her son into yet another hug, "You're precious to us and we will miss you while you're away,"

The family jumped when a Peacekeeper opened the door sharply and yelled "Two minutes left!" revealing a determined looking Jena, who thanked the firebender and entered the room.

Casimir let go of his mother and turned to hug his father, "I know I'm not a lean-mean killing machine, dad..."

"I never wanted or expected you to be, Cas," he soothed, stroking the boy's short spiky hair.

"Okay, good. Because without bending, I-"

"Casimir. Bending the elements is all well and good, but there are people who rely on just that, their ability to bend. When you take that away from them, they will be weakened in more ways than one. Use that to your advantage, and you will go far, I know you will."

"Okay," Casimir repeated, letting go to turn to his sister with a wry smile. "So, got any tips for me, sis?" he asked.

"Plenty. You'll hear them all on the train to the Capitol." Jena revealed.

Their parents blinked.

"That's what I was discussing with Ethan and the Peacekeepers. While I was too young to mentor until I was 18, I can do so now, and I chose to. Better that then let some doddery old fool of a victor from Games like a hundred years ago 'train' you." Her eyes softened much like her father's had in Casimir's sparring session with him earlier that day, "I can't sit at home and do nothing when I have the opportunity to do everything I can to prepare you, Cas."

"So both of you are leaving home?" their mother asked, shakily

"And we're both coming back," Jena replied

A wave of relief washed over him. _He was going to be okay_.

At that moment the door swung open, and a handful of Peacekeepers came to escort the siblings to the train. Tall and exuding confidence, the duo stepped out of the rear of the Mayor's building with Panem's eyes on them, floating cameras recording their every step towards the train. A couple of guards were escorting a surly Ursule to the platform too, she looked furious and positively fearsome, Casimir thought. There was a good chance she wouldn't want to ally herself with him, knowing that their mentor was his sister was reason enough. He refrained from biting his lip in worry, it wouldn't do to show any signs of weakness in front of the cameras. The frosty gravel crunched under their feet as they were marched to the station and ushered onto the train. A couple of Peacekeepers joined them on board. It wasn't necessary in the past, but metalbenders had begun to attempt to escape the train while it was moving to avoid the games altogether, though none had succeeded. As soon as the doors slid shut behind them, the train was moving.

Now that they were out of the view of the cameras, the Peacekeepers immediately took off their helmets and went to their designated quarters. As far as they were concerned, this was a paid holiday. Casimir stood watching them as they walked off, then turned to greet Ursule after his sister had introduced herself to his fellow Tribute. She didn't look any calmer than when Ethan called her name.

"Hey Urs—"

She put a hand up, palm in Casimir's face "Don't fucking talk to me. I'm not in the mood. I have enough to deal with being reaped, and then you go and get your _sister_ to be our mentor? I wonder how well that's gonna work out for me, huh?" with that, she stormed off, heading to the room labelled 'FT' and slamming the door behind her.

"Oh…" Jena winced, "maybe I should have thought about that."

"You think?"


	2. Chapter 2

Ursule did not sleep well that night. She could not enjoy the luxuries that were granted to her as a tribute, the decadence sickened her. The carpet was too soft, the bed felt like a marshmallow, and she had only caught a glimpse at the bathroom before shutting the door in disgust. At times throughout the sleepless hours, she wondered if her other family members had felt the same way on their journey to the Capitol. At others she felt green with envy that Casimir got to have his sister here with him, to guide and train and comfort and console… It wasn't fair, it wasn't right, and it certainly wasn't humane. Not just for her, either. For the children being reaped from every other district and for the avoxes treated worse than the earth she bent. Everyone was suffering, everyone except the firebenders.

She shook with such rage at the thought of them that she became certain that if she could bend metal, the entire train would collapse into itself. That was when the knock came.

"Ursule?" the voice was soft and feminine. Definitely Jena. Out of the two females on board- not including herself- the other was a Peacekeeper, not exactly someone who would bother learning her name.

"Ursule, you awake?" Jena asked again. The earthbender sighed. While it was late, she was wide awake, and if anyone could relate to that, it was Jena. It was the whole reason she was here; she'd been through it all before. She rolled off the bed and almost cringed when her bare feet made contact with the fluffy carpet again. Padding over to the door, she opened it to see Jena looking hopeful.

"Yeah, I'm up," she murmured bitterly, "Do you need something?"

Jena's lip curled in a barely concealed wince

"I was wondering if I could come in and have a talk with you. If this is a bad time, we can always talk in the morning?"

In response, the teen opened the door wide and clapped the lights on. They came on dimly and started getting brighter until she clapped again, as if to signal that was enough. Jena's mouth dropped open, which actually made Ursule chuckle.

"My parents work in lighting, they helped to design these," she explained. Deciding to avoid the bed for now, she sat cross legged on the carpet with her back resting against the frame. Looking up at her mentor, she noticed that Jena looked uncertain: she was biting her lip, fiddling with her fingers with a slight frown marring her face.

Patient as ever- seeing as Jena was as far as one could be from being a firebender- the young tribute waited for her to gather her thoughts, watching as she nervously remembered to shut the door, and finally take a seat by her.

Jena took a deep breath.

"The first night is not the hardest, not by a long shot. It gets worse." She said, finally

"Aren't you supposed to tell me that it gets easier?" Ursule replied confusedly

"That would be lying. My job is to prepare you, not coddle you." Jena said firmly

"Unlike Casimir, right? He doesn't get the hard truths like I do. Lucky me," she scoffed

"Cas already knows them," she paused, and Ursule thought she looked almost stuck in a memory, "He watched me fight for my life every day. He comforted me when I came back with blood on my hands and nightmares in my head. My brother doesn't need to be told the hard truths, he's lived a few of them already, just like you."

Ursule was hit with a pang of regret. Jena didn't deserve to be shut out, neither did Casimir when she thought about it. She was certain her older sister would have done the same in her position.

"I- I didn't think of it like that, I'm sorry."

"I know it's unfair. Believe me, I _know._ But don't take it out on him. He didn't choose me or beg me to be his mentor. He would never ask me to do that. If you want someone to blame, blame me."  
Ursule nodded, and Jena smiled, looking visibly relieved.

"Good, now why don't you tell me about yourself? The more I know, the better I'll be able to help you prepare for the Games."

"How would you be able to prepare me to fight? You're a waterbender, aren't you?" Ursule asked

"That's true, I am, but I never said anything about fighting," Jena admitted

"So… What do you want to know apart from the fact that I'm an earthbender?"

"What you do with your bending, if you use any specialised forms of bending, what you do in your spare time… That and more, anything you want to talk about, really."

Ursule's gaze rose from Jena's face to the ceiling in thought. What _did_ she do in her spare time? There was school, which she tended to struggle with, and then there were her 'extra-curricular' activities. The kind of stuff that would get her name thrown into the reaping bowl a few extra times if she was caught. But if the Games were to be her punishment, she reasoned that she didn't have anything to worry about now.

"I play pranks on the _Piss_ keepers, sometimes." She spat "But the rest of my time is spent, uh, fighting"

"Fighting?"

"Yeah, in the abandoned power plants far away from the centre of town. You don't know about it?"

"This is the first I've heard of it."

"It's been going on for a couple of years now. Some of the older kids came up with it after their History teacher gave them a lesson that wasn't about the Dark Days for once. Told them about a city where benders from every nation lived together in peace, and a sport called professional bending."

Jena listened intently as her mentee talked about the makeshift pro-bending tournaments and the various pranks she pulled on the Capitol's security force. From what she could tell, she fought hard and fast, using brute force to overwhelm and subdue her opponents. In this respect she was a little similar to Jena's brother. But when placed in situations where stealth was crucial, she employed much subtler methods and waited for the right opportunity to strike. Ursule was adept at both reconnaissance and combat, and Jena didn't hesitate to inform her.

The girl blinked in surprise.

"I've never thought about it like that."

"Our lives are full of transferable skills," Jena began, "Tributes from District 4, for example, are excellent swimmers, and their knowledge of marine life is greater than that of the general population. The inhabitants of District 11 are well versed in farming and foraging, and know what plants are safe to eat, as well as what plants have medicinal uses. Waterbenders and earthbenders from these respective districts are also more in touch with their element."

"That… actually makes sense. The more you use something, the better you get at using it and it becomes second nature," Ursule added

"Exactly like second nature," Jena said with a smile.

"So… is this you preparing me?"

Jena chuckled softly, "Your pranks have made you perceptive, Ursule. You catch on fast,"

She swelled at the complement, but sobered at the context, "I guess I'll need to be perceptive, for the arena,"

"Yes. Yes you will,"

The next morning, Casimir noticed that Ursule was visibly less troubled than she was the day before. Less troubled meaning her scowl was not as intense as it was yesterday. He didn't think it was directed at himself or his sister though, rather that she had to be in such close proximity to a firebender. As she walked into the food car, her eyes scanned the area. It was a habit Jena had suggested she get into so that she was aware of her surroundings the moment she entered. She counted two exits- each guarded by a Peacekeeper- including the door she came through, a wealth of utensils for her to use as makeshift weapons, but no earth to bend. There were, however, plenty of liquids for her mentor to work with, which put Ursule at an immediate disadvantage if she were her opponent; hypothetically of course. The earthbender also noticed that there were two Avoxes in this car, dressed in red and dull yellow, ready to assist the train's passengers.

By the time she sat at the breakfast table, she was certain that without some earth to bend, she was useless. That was until she began listening to her fellow tribute's conversation with his sister.

"Jen, I won't last longer than the bloodbath!" he groaned mournfully

"Cas, you don't know that there will _be_ one,"

"True, your Games didn't have one, but that was an anomaly! And besides, you had your bending, I don't. No bending, no skill with weaponry, nothing."

Ursule choked on her pastry, "You can't bend?!" she asked, stunned.

"Nope,"

The laughter that followed made Casimir wince and Jena frown. She knew just how insecure her brother was about being a non-bender. Now that it was a matter of life and death, it was pure dread that he felt at entering the arena, and this was only exacerbated by the teen's cruel expression of disbelief. Sensing that Casmir was withdrawing into himself, Jena decided to put an end to it.

"Enough."

Focusing on the water vapour in the air around Ursule, Jena subtly caused the temperature to fall from comfortable to frigid. The effect was instantaneous; with icy air and a tone to match, the laughing stopped abruptly. Shifting her focus from the female tribute to her brother, Jena placed a comforting hand on the back of his neck.

"Remember what Dad said before we left, Cas?"

He nodded glumly, "Yeah, I- I do."

He wanted to say that what his dad said was a bunch of platitudes. He wanted to say that they were empty words. He wanted to say that no non-bender had ever won the Games before. But he listened to his sister, and held his tongue.

"There is one thing that I will not tolerate, and that is discrimination against non-benders," Jena said, locking eyes with Ursule, who was still shivering slightly.

"I'm sorry,"

"You'd better be if you want to continue being mentored by me," she stood up from the table, "Come find me in an hour, I want you fed, clean and dressed. We have work to do,"

Cas nodded again while slathering butter on a croissant and Ursule inclined her head affirmatively. Their mentor left the car, nodding to the Avoxes as she left and totally ignoring the male Peacekeeper leering at her. The silence that followed was broken with intermittent scraping of very expensive cutlery on very expensive plates. Cas was starting to squirm a little, long silences in social environments often made him feel uncomfortable. His fellow tribute however, interpreted this discomfort as a response to her earlier comments about bending. While her exterior was as rigid as her native element, Ursule felt squirmy on the inside. Jena was right to confront her, and she felt guilty for laughing. When their meal came to an end a minute or so later, she decided to try and get rid of the ugly feeling in her stomach.

"Casimir?"

"Mmmf?" his mouth was full of his last bite of pastry

"Did you hear my apology earlier?" Ursule asked

"Uh… Yeah?" Casimir frowned in confusion. He wanted to say that the apology didn't seem like it was meant for him at all, but kept quiet when he saw the look in her eyes. He hadn't seen that kind of sincerity in someone's eyes outside of his family and he couldn't fight the answering smile that crept to his lips if he tried.

"Thanks, Ursule."

The girl shrugged in response and averted her eyes from Casimir's grateful gaze. She mumbled something about going to take a shower before they got lectured by his sister- which earned a chuckle- and excused herself from the breakfast table. Walking back to the female tributes' quarters, Ursule smiled to herself upon opening her door. There was a makeshift footpath of clothing from the door to the en suite bathroom. It was an idea she had upon waking, with the clothing drawer within reach from the bed she could easily throw down a path for her to walk on the too-soft carpet. Grateful that she had some time to shower before getting chewed out by her mentor, Ursule padded to the bathroom and clapped the lights on. Taking a look around the room she noticed enough bathing and skincare products to last a year, including- to both her surprise and delight- bath salts. She let out an uncharacteristic squeal that she didn't even bother to hide. Finally, on this metal bullet cutting through air towards the Capitol, there was something worth getting excited about: something to bend.

Wondering how firebenders could be so careless as to allow minerals aboard the train, Ursule eased into her usual stance and suspended the ball of salt in the air in front of her. At first, she was elated to have some modicum of control, but she realised soon that this was nothing like the earth she was accustomed to bending. The salt was loose like soil, ready to crumble away at any moment. Frowning, Ursule began compressing and compacting the mineral, binding it tightly together until it was as hard enough to punch a hole through the wall. Reaching out, Ursule took the ball into her palm to observe her handiwork. It was a great deal tougher than before, but sacrificed size for structural integrity, leaving it a quarter of what it was before.

With a sad smile she undressed and wrapped her newfound treasure in her clothing, then stepped into the shower and selected the heat and pressure of the water. As it fell like a broiling waterfall, Ursule let her minder wander. Looking at the gleaming silver showerhead, it was almost like being at home, only theirs was not top of the line and the water pressure only felt like this if you were first one up. Running her fingers through her short, light brown hair, she considered that the line for the shower would be even shorter now that she was going to be bathing in the Capitol for the next few weeks. Naturally, her thoughts rested on her family, large as it was. Her parents were an intelligent couple, very focused on the small details and intricacies of everything which, Ursule realised with a start, was probably how they managed to become metal benders. It certainly helped with their work in lighting. Nothing got past her mum and dad, like herself, they were extremely perceptive. She was certain they knew about her factory fight meetups, and everything else she and her siblings got up to.

They were certainly going to notice that they had lost another daughter.

Deciding that she was clean enough for a lecture about the Games, Ursule turned off the water and exited the shower. She walked back into the bedroom, old clothes in hand, ready to extend her path to make it reach the window. She wanted to watch the scenery fly by once she was dressed. Only problem was, there wasn't a path to extend, the room was as clean as it was when she stormed into it yesterday.

"I know the avoxes are just doing their jobs," she muttered to herself, "but this carpet makes me want to cut my feet off."

A/N: Avoxes are introduced in this chapter. You'll notice that they can speak in this fic, this is because my avoxes do not have their tongues removed, but rather their bending. The Fire Nation in this story sees those who cannot bend as lesser humans, even their own people. I wanted to change their title to Bezsilny- which is Polish for "powerless"- but it felt like it was changing too much. I thought since my protagonist and his family are of Polish descent, why not my avoxes too? The way I maintain that they are still called "without a voice" is that they are only permitted to speak when spoken to.


	3. Chapter 3

"The Games I participated in when I was your age, were the longest lasting Games in decades," Jena spoke standing with her back to the screen mounted on the wall behind her, "This was for two main reasons: Firstly, the public were tired of the Gamemakers interfering as much as they had with previous Games. There had been talk of tributes being given unfair advantages that made some of the gamblers unhappy. The Fire Lord at the time had the Head Gamemaker killed for inciting political unrest. Since then, Gamemakers have kept their direct interference to a minimum."

Jena turned to the screen and brought up several pictures. Most looked like large tunnels or caves, some had genetically modified wildlife, but the rest looked out of place, like pictures out of a Capitol holiday brochure.

"Now the arena for my Games was deceptively large, above ground—"

"Wait, wait, what was the second reason?" Ursule asked with a frown, "You skipped that."

Jena smiled slyly, "I already told you; you weren't listening."

Ursule looked at her mentor in disbelief, then turned her gaze to Casimir who avoided her eye and said:

"At breakfast."

"I told you to take stock of your surroundings, Urs,"

"I did! I totally analysed that entire food car!" she cried, "And don't call me ' _Urs'_ "

"I noticed," Jena nodded, "but you also need to pay attention to speech. There is a _lot_ of information to be gleaned from some simple eavesdropping,"

Ursule huffed.

"Cas, would you mind telling your teammate the second reason?" Jena asked, turning around to pull up the video footage.

Casimir smiled shyly at Ursule who was looking at him expectantly, twirling some kind of colourful rock between her fingers.

"The other main reason for the 93rd Hunger Games lasting as long as it did, was the fact that there was no bloodbath."

Ursule blinked.

"Yep, the second Games in history in which there was no bloodbath to thin the herd." Jena confirmed

She let out a low whistle. "So when was the first Games without a bloodbath?"

"The very first."

At the sound of the Peacekeeper's voice, Ursule bent the rock up her sleeve and into crook of her arm. The last thing she wanted was to have it taken away from her before they arrived. She would feel powerless without it. Casimir jumped at the sound that came from the doorway behind them. Jena, however, didn't even bother turning to address him.

"What do you want?" she asked plainly

"I just came to inform you that we'll be arriving in a couple of hours," the firebender replied. Ursule watched him as his eyes travelled the length of Jena's body. Repulsed, she turned to face the screen, unconsciously following her mentor's example. Casimir kept his gaze to the floor, his foot tapping nervously against the soft carpet. All Peacekeepers made him feel uneasy, but this one was something else.

"Well thanks for the info. But seeing as there's so little time left, I'd like to continue my lesson if you don't mind."

"Heh, yeah. I'll leave you alone to coddle your lambs," he chuckled darkly

When the door closed behind him, Jena twirled around and continued as if nothing had happened to interrupt them.

"Sponsors and spectators were outraged, initially. Without a bloodbath, tributes that would have typically died in the first hour survived for weeks."

"D-did that make the people who placed bets angry too?" Casimir asked, shaking off the last traces of anxiety.

"A bit. But overall, the Capitol was entranced. None of them had witnessed a Games like this in their lifetime, everything was different. Even the Careers were reluctant to kill at first. And this made them weak," Jena enlarged a video clip so it filled the screen. On it was a Career from 2, but without his entourage and surrounded by tributes from less well-off districts like 11 and 12.

"Here you can see that this Career, despite all his training and preparation, is outnumbered. This is the opposite of what normally happens, and it's all because of the way my Games began. Bloodbaths are more than just a ceremonial killing spree: they are a show of strength and a confirmation of alliance. Career tributes typically bond there, but not this time."

The tributes onscreen looked scared and a bit breathless, but none of them appeared to be injured in any way. Ursule watched with curiosity, noticing that their clothing didn't look tattered or damaged in the slightest. Judging by their appearance, this was the first kill of the Games. She couldn't spot her mentor among them. On the video the atmosphere suddenly changed; the tributes converged on the Career with weapons and elements ready to strike. Jena stopped the recording.

"You don't need to see what happens next."

The earthbender raised an eybrow. There was no need for Jena to be embarrassed or squeamish about death, they had all watched Games before. And it wasn't like she was involved with this particular killing.

"What happened to you not coddling us, Jena?" she asked with genuine curiosity

There was a beat of silence.

"Are you really so eager to see children murder each other, Ursule?" Jena asked back. Her tone was easy, conversational even, and that made Ursule uncomfortable. But she wasn't about to admit that to her mentor.

"I just… I think that we should face reality as soon as possible,"

"Reality will be with you soon enough."

After that, Jena shut off the screen and lectured her tributes about her Games and others that were noteworthy. She spoke of how the wildlife had been conditioned to react violently in the presence of humans, and pitch-black caves with natural gas deposits that would explode at the hint of firebending. That was something that Casimir had never understood: how firebenders ended up in the Games. His sister explained that criminals and traitors to the Capitol were banished to live among the Districts as punishment. Not only that but, until very recently, citizens who were found to be unable to bend were seen as 2nd class citizens and banished too. Sometimes the descendants of non-bender Fire Nation citizens were born with the ability their parents lacked. And of course, there were times that the Peacekeepers would take advantage of their power in the most deplorable of ways.

"There was this one firebender, that used the forcefield at the edge of the arena to kill a badgermole that was chasing him," Jena began, "It was actually how he found it. None of us had been able to find the edge until that day, a month after we arrived. He used a special technique to generate lightning, shooting at the badgermole, which slowed it down a bit, but didn't stop it. He must of heard it humming or saw a shimmer in the air, because the next thing he did was shoot a bolt of energy at the forcefield, causing it to rebound with even greater force, siphoning off some of the available electricity. When it came back towards him, he redirected it through his body- which by the way was more than enough to kill him- and aimed it at the charging animal."

Casimir's mouth hung open. Jena smirked at his expression, which immediately made him snap it shut.

"How did he know to do that?" he asked

"I don't think he did,"

"So… he was acting on instinct then?"

"Or hoping that something, anything would save his life," Jena replied softly.

"That is _so_ cool!" Casimir grinned, missing the faraway look in her eyes.

Ursule huffed, clearly unimpressed, "It didn't help the stupid fire tosser in the end. Your sister was victor,"

"There are no vi- ugh, okay you know what?" the waterbender took a calming breath, "We've almost arrived, and I think I've talked enough. Any questions before I go meditate in my room?"

"Yeah," Ursule piped up, "Did you ally with—"

"No, no questions," Casimir interrupted

His sister shot him a grateful look. "See you in a few, then". She walked towards the exit and placed a hand on Casimir's shoulder before heading to the mentor's suite. When she left, he turned to the earthbender, who was clearly annoyed.

"What the _hell_ was that? I had a genuine question!"

"I think Jena needed a break before we get to the Capitol," Casimir replied calmly, "I'm really sorry for cutting you off,"

"But it's our lives on the line here! She's here to prepare us!" Ursule stood up, glaring down at the boy

"I know, but it's hard for her too. My sis—"

"Hard for _her?_ Ugh, can you not? You know, yesterday she came to talk to me in my room. She told me that her job was not to coddle us. You are doing exactly that to her!"

"Please calm down, please? I don't want…" his eyes darted to the door Jena just left through.

Something snapped in Ursule, and Casimir immediately regretted saying anything.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? YOU WANT ME TO KEEP QUIET SO THAT SHE CAN MEDITATE IN PEACE?" Fuelled by anger, Ursule sent out her little piece of compressed earth at full speed towards Casimir's forehead. It struck with a smack. He grunted and held his head in pain.

"What the hell, Ursule?!" Casimir yelled, finally losing his patience, "I'm bleeding!"

"Oh grow up, _Casimir."_ She sneered, pulling the earth back to her outstretched hand, _"_ This is nothing compared to what they'll throw at you in the arena. Maybe if your sister wasn't so pathetic at sharing her experiences, you'd know that by now"

"Don't call my sister pathetic! Jena's been through a lot!" his voice shook and his chest heaved.

"How about you don't tell my mentor it's okay not to answer questions crucial to my survival?!" Ursule hurled the rock at the hand clutching his face, and when he pulled back in pain she bent it at his head again.

Tears were threatening to spill out from Casimir's eyes. He couldn't remember a time when he had been hit so hard. Sure, his parents weren't soft on him when it came to chi-blocking practice, but their intention was never to hurt him.

' _Come to think of it,'_ he thought, _'I've never had anyone earthbend at me before'_

Ursule's frowning face tilted to the side, "Are… Are you crying?" a cruel laugh, not unlike the one at breakfast came out of her agape mouth. "Dude, how the hell are you gonna last out there?" She pulled her fist back then shot it forwards quickly, this time aiming her earth at his chest. This went on for a while; the earthbender hitting unprotected areas, the non-bender begging for her to stop. With each attack, he was pushed further and further across the room, until his back was almost against the wall.

Soon, Casimir decided he'd taken enough of a beating. Ursule's question rolled around in his head, mocking him, frightening him. He already knew he was at a disadvantage. He already knew that people like him had to train twice as hard to be half as powerful as benders were. But if he gave up here, before he had even arrived at the Capitol, he was already as good as dead. As Ursule pulled back for another attack, Casimir unfurled from his protective stance. Standing tall, he looked his attacker straight in the eye and cleared his mind to assess the situation.

The room was large, and there was furniture around that he could use for cover, but he didn't want to be on the defensive anymore. Ursule was short and stocky, there was real power put behind her attacks. But the only reason she had been able to hit him was because he was standing still. She was unfocused and fuelled by pent up frustration. Casimir, on the other hand, was a whole head and shoulders taller, so when he go that determined look in her eye, the girl actually had the presence of mind to hesitate for half a second. Sending out her only source of power once more, it flew hard and fast towards her opponent. It hit his open palm with a stinging smack, making him grimace. Ursule's eyes widened as Casmir curled his fingers around it, and promptly threw it to the side. Running to where she stood in shock of this retaliation, he visualised her pressure points and aimed.

He managed to get two hits in before she wised up; one to her left shoulder and another to her upper arm. Regaining her senses, Ursule felt for the rock where it had fallen underneath a chair, grunting as she flung it full speed to the side of Casimir's face. At the last second he ducked, feeling it rush through the air above his head.

"Stay still!" Ursule ground out, more frustrated now that she had missed her target

"Stop trying to hit me!" Casimir bit back

The rock kept flying until it knocked a heavy ornament off a table. It fell with a loud thud that neither tribute noticed. Ursule physically pushed Casimir back, making him stumble and trip over his previous seat. Seixing the opportunity, Ursule bent her rock at his head full speed. With no time to get up, the boy stretched out his hand, hoping to catch it again, albeit painfully. He closed his eyes, wincing at the impending impact.

He was met with silence.

The apple-sized earth fragment had zoomed towards its target, when suddenly it was stopped in its tracks. Gaping, Ursule saw Casimir's palm held up in defense, and the only bendable material on this train hover in the air for a moment before dropping to the ground.

Casimir's eyes were dry now. In shock, he examined his hand, slowly retracting it from its defensive position. Then his eyes locked on Ursule's. She wasn't angry anymore, it seemed.

"Did you see that? Did I just, earthbend?"

"I…" Ursule croaked, shook her head, cleared her throat and tried again, "I think you did."

Right then, Ethan walked in. He was looking pristine dressed in bright colours, completely contrasted by his solemn expression. It was an odd combination. He saw Casimir on the floor, and a broken statuette by the table, but didn't bother commenting on them.

"There you are" he smiled sadly, "I was hoping I'd find you two here. The Avoxes have served up some pre-Capitol refreshments in the food car. I'd suggest you two eat now, you won't be able to again until this evening; what with being remade and all." With that, he softly nodded and walked out of the doorway, presumably to get himself a snack.

"I had no idea he boarded with us," Casimir admitted once the door had closed behind him.

"The Pisskeepers were talking about him on my way to breakfast this morning. Apparently he sleeps in super late and takes forever to get ready."

' _So she_ was _listening to conversations'_ Casimir thought to himself, _'just not to her allies'_

"He doesn't seem like the lazy type, though." He added out loud

"I don't think he's lazy, just sad," saying those words gave Ursule a bad taste in her mouth. Was she really feeling sorry for a firebender?

About 20 minutes later, Jena returned to find Ursule trying (and failing) to teach her little brother how to bend a tiny piece of earth. Amused and slightly perplexed, she decided to observe the dishevelled teens silently from the doorway.

"Nothing's happening. Are you sure you weren't playing a trick on me?"

"For the last time, I'm sure! I was actually _trying to hurt you_. You're too soft for your own good, Casimir."

"Okay, okay, just checking…"

"More like triple checking."

"Can you just run through it again?"

"It's hard to explain, and it's definitely going to be harder for you without loads of earth around for you to bend."

"So we just spent the last however long doing nothing useful at all?"

"I'm not exactly an earthbending teacher alright? I'm just a kid!"

"You know, they say that 200 years ago, the Avatar was just 13 years old when they could bend all the elements," Jena interjected

The two teens jumped, Casimir even went as far as to shriek.

Ursule's hand flew to her heart, "How long have you been standing there?"

"Only a little while," she replied with a smirk, "but long enough to be confused. Why are you trying to teach Cas how to earthbend?"

They shared a look, but stayed silent.

Their mentor raised her eyebrows, but otherwise seemed to drop it.

"I actually came by to discuss something with the two of you,"

"Oh yeah? What's up Jen?" Casimir questioned, settling himself in a chair.

"You remember when the Peacekeeper came by earlier to tell us that we would be arriving soon? Well, there was something he said that's been really bothering me." She paused to move fully into the room, closing the door behind her.

"He called you 'lambs',"

"He's not wrong, we are pretty cute." Casimir joked, nudging the girl beside him, "Don't you think, Urs?"

"I don't really give a shit about what any firebender says, they aren't worth my time." Ursule scoffed "And don't call me 'Urs'! Spirits!"

Jena chuckled at the exchange. It made her feel hopeful that her brother might be able to break through those walls of resentment Ursule had built up. Her thoughts were interrupted by the very same girl:

"So why did that bother you?" she asked

Jena bit her lip. Her earlier meditation offered her some relaxation as they drew closer to the Capitol. She hadn't been back since her Games, hadn't even been on a train since her Victory Tour all those years ago. It felt horrible to be driven back to a place where she lost so much, and was burdened with things she didn't ask for. But she did ask for this. She asked for the chance to protect and prepare her brother as best she could, so she had to be stronger than she seemed. For Casimir.

"Well… I'm pretty sure he meant sacrificial lambs. As if that's all tributes are: lambs sent off to be slaughtered for the entertainment of the Fire Nation. A sacrifice to satisfy their need for bloodshed."

"That guy was creepy, Jena," Casimir whimpered, which Ursule rolled her eyes at.

"He was totally undressing you with his eyes, it was gross," she added

The 20 year old grimaced, "That's why I wasn't looking at him; he's been like that since we boarded the train!"

"Why don't you just tell him that you like girls?" Casimir asked

"Not a bad idea," Ursule murmured, thinking aloud, "though it might make things worse…"

"It's not an _idea_ , it's the truth. Jena doesn't like boys that way."

Ursule's head snapped to face Jena, who was wiggling her eyebrows impishly, which made Ursule do something she rarely did; if ever. She blushed bright red and averted her eyes.

"Changing the subject, what _was_ all that about Cas trying to earthbend?"

"I think it's really archaic that the tributes still have to be one male and one female…" Casimir drawled, pretending he didn't hear her. Jena rolled her eyes, but took the bait.

"Archaic? Did you swallow a dictionary while I was gone?" she replied

Casimir laughed and beamed with pride, "Yeah! And we found out that I'm probably an earthbender too, so that's cool."

He clamped his mouth shut, but the words spilled out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Hiding things from his sister was simply not what Casimir did. There was a beat of silence where Ursule's blush faded and Jena's face displayed a whole range of emotions: mirth, confusion, scepticism.

Jena was caught off guard; and before she could recover to interrogate her little brother, the room was suddenly plunged into darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This chapter is quite a bit longer than the last three, and features some strong language. I wanted to get a few things set up and out of the way before chapter 5, which might end up being just as long, if not longer.

In the dark, Jena's composure took a brief sabbatical.

"Are you two fucking with me?" she demanded "because if you are, you need to tell me _right_ now."

"No, no!" Casimir cried, "I didn't mean to say it, but… I really think I might be."

Both tributes heard their mentor exhale as the train rumbled on through the darkness.

"Explain,"

"We got into a fight after you left to meditate," the boy admitted guiltily

"Of course you did." Ursule could almost hear Jena's eyes rolling, "About what?"

"It was my fault. Ursule wanted to ask you a question, but I wanted to give you some space before we arrived,"

"I didn't exactly help by getting so worked up about it," Ursule said quietly

"Okay, okay. We were all a little bit irresponsible here, do we agree on that?" Jena asked

The teens nodded, but quickly remembered that it was still completely dark in the tunnel, and gave their verbal assent too.

"Good. Now, Ursule. How certain are you that Cas bent that rock?"

"One hundred percent. I was really trying t-to hit him. Then something _stopped_ me trying to hit him."

"Alright," Jena accepted, "Cas. How certain are _you_ that you bent that rock?"

"I don't know," he fidgeted, "Like, maybe eighty? I don't get it! Why would I only figure out bending now?"

"That's not important right now." Jena took a few steps forward, so she could whisper to them,

"What _is_ important is that you're a bender, and that no one else except the three of us knows that. We need to keep it that way. It needs to be a secret from everyone; even Ethan."

"O-okay," Casimir stammered.

"As if I would trust a firebender anyway," Ursule spat

The train passed through the mountain as its passengers readied themselves for the crowds of Capitol citizens anticipating their arrival. On the other side of the tunnel, the sunlight spilled through the windows, reflected and enhanced by the shining skyscrapers that dominated the city. Even Ursule (though she'd be loath to admit it), paused to admire the architecture, especially since it was almost certainly constructed with the help of earthbenders. Casimir looked at the spires with unease. It bothered him in many ways how, even considering the wealthier districts, the opulence shown here was startling in comparison. There were no outdoor recreational areas in District 5, but here there were pristine parks, there were clean streets and smooth roads. And the most startling thing of all, was the lack of Peacekeepers. Casimir couldn't imagine what the discrepancy must look like to tributes from Districts like 11 and 12. He glanced at his older sister, her gaze was directed out of the window, but she didn't seem to be seeing anything that was there.

Ethan walked into the room again, joining the others in looking out at his home. Out of the corner of her eye, Ursule could see that he was still in his colourful garments. He was finishing the last bites of a sandwich, presumably from the snacks he mentioned earlier, and brushing the crumbs from his clothing.

"There's going to be quite a bit of excitement when we arrive," Ethan began, standing beside the waterbender. 

"Isn't there always?" Urule murmured sourly 

"Quiet." Jena commanded calmly, "Our Escort has important information for the both of you, so listen carefully." 

Ethan sent a grateful nod in the mentor's direction, then continued: "Miss Meusil was- _is_ a very popular Victor of the Games, even more than half a decade after she, er, 'won'," he supplied air quotes. "The fact that she is returning for the first time in years, and alongside her younger brother no less, means that spectators will be on the edge of their seats this year."

The train was beginning to slow noticeably. Ethan tapped Casimir and Ursule's shoulders, then motioned for them to follow him. As they walked through the train, he continued the briefing: "This is good for you in terms of potential sponsors, you have an advantage that other tributes do not. You do not have to make them like you, they already do."

Ursule's lips formed a thin line. She was trying not to be bitter about the whole thing, especially since Casimir needed all the help he could get, but it was hard. It made her feel a little better when she noticed that the boy in question was squirming under the attention. They had reached the doors through which they had boarded the train the previous day, but stood on the opposite side where there was a set of wide windows. The muffled sounds of the gathered crowd could be heard as the train decelerated.

"Mr Meusil," the Escort addressed Casimir directly, "This head start of yours will only remain advantageous if you do two things. One; you must idolise your sister as much as the Capitol does, if not more so. If you mirror their attitudes and beliefs, you will have them eating out of your hand." Casimir nodded in understanding. "Two; remember that the only reason you have this head start is because of her."

He nodded. Ethan gave him a tight smile in reply.

The train lurched a little as the driver engaged the brakes, startling the two teens. Ursule bumped into Ethan, then leaped back as if she had been burned. Jena hid a grin. 

"Miss White?" 

"Yes, _Mr_ Klein?" she asked back sarcastically, composing herself. 

"The same applies to you." 

"Huh?" 

"Not the idolising so much, though it will certainly improve your likability to gush about how incredible Jena is as a mentor. You do need to remember that the reason that _you_ have a headstart is because of your connection to your teammate here. The time will come for you to prove yourself; be patient till then."

Ursule blinked at the firebender's advice. He was nothing like any of the Peacekeepers she had the misfortune of encountering.

"Got it."

"Good," the vehicle gave one final, gentle lurch as the brakes stopped it by the platform. "We're here."

The train, which was essentially soundproof, kept the cheering at bay.

On the platform that could be seen through the glass, Fire Nation citizens proved Ethan right. At the sight of Jena, their screams increased threefold. No-one had seen or heard from her since her Victory Tour, except those in District 5. With grace only a waterbender could achieve, she curtsied and beamed in response, waving at the crowds of people held behind the barriers.

When the doors behind them opened, the roaring cheers hit the group like a crashing wave. Ethan, disembarked first, leaving the crowds to who they wanted to see. Turning her head slightly, she nodded to her tributes to join her. They had only to step forward to get into their spectators field of vision. Ursule nudged Casimir with her elbow, "Let's go, celebrity-by-association,"  
Casimir laughed, and kept that toothy grin plastered on his face in an effort to make his expression as genuine as possible. Side by side, the tributes and their mentor presented themselves to the Capitol. Cameras hovering from on high broadcast their image across the country to people of all nations.

There were people screaming with excitement. The crowds heaved against the barriers set up by Peacekeepers to get a closer look. This confused Casimir; the Fire Nation were typically a very dignified people.

' _The Games must be an exception to that rule'_ he pondered.

The group smiled and waved, before slowly being led by their escort to the Remake Centre. They disembarked from the train, onto the side where there were no spectators. The cameras, however, had flown over their transport to catch more images of them as they walked through the station. Some stayed high, while others zoomed in close, mainly focusing on Jena. A cold wind blew at them, carrying a reminder of the wintery season. Casimir supressed a shiver, but even so, it seemed warmer here than it did back home. Looking to his group, he saw Ursule's smile turn to a grimace against the cold and Ethan subtly turn his collar to protect his bare neck from the sharp air. Even his sister seemed to be affected, he spied goose bumps on her bicep. As they entered the building, the boy wondered if the cold wasn't bothering him as much because of the Capitol's warmer climate, or something entirely different.

"Is something wrong, Mr Meusil?" Ethan asked softly.

They were stood inside what looked like a high-tech hospital ward that stretched on forever, with dozens of designated areas for each 'patient' separated by electric blue curtains. At least, that's what it appeared to be at first glance. Upon closer inspection the walls were deep grey instead of off-white, and the equipment looked a lot more suitable for a place of torture. There were flashes of light coming from where the tributes were being 'remade', and little grunts and squeals from all over. In a store room with the door left ajar, sharp scissors of every size, combs that resembled miniature garden rakes, gurneys with leather restraints, and rows upon rows of bottled chemicals were on display.

Casimir blinked. "Uh… Wrong?"

"Apart from, you know, the obvious?" Ursule said from a few steps away. Ethan looked sympathetic, but waited patiently for an answer.

"N-no. It's okay."

"Well alright then," he said, peering around uneasily.

"What's up, Ethan?" Jena asked.

"Usually, the prep team are ready to greet us when we arrive, but it seems this time that they're running late."

"Can we not stand here in the entrance? Isn't there a waiting room or something around here?" Ursule demanded.

"Certainly. Follow me."

The waiting area was aptly named; there was nothing to do there except wait. It was just a few seats in an out-of-the-way corner. There weren't even any magazines. After a few minutes, Ursule's prep team arrived. When they saw that Jena was there, the group of women were in hysterics. They apologised over and over to her, begging her forgiveness for being tardy, before whisking the earthbender away. Ursule looked disgusted at the prospect of being remade by Fire Nation citizens. Wanting to avoid a repeat of that when her brother's prep team came, Jena slipped away. The boy felt abandoned by his sister, but he knew she wouldn't have left him if he was in any real danger.

Jena's departure left Ethan and Casimir to do nothing but wonder which tributes were behind the curtains. He didn't know Ethan all that well, so as soon as his sister was out of sight the silence was no longer comfortable. He wasn't sure how to feel about him, really. Of all the firebenders he had interacted with- which wasn't many- Ethan Klein was a different breed. Someone who could flick a switch like he did in front of cameras was either extremely talented, extremely untrustworthy, or both. The escort hadn't given him any reason to mistrust him at all. In fact, all of their interactions to date had actually been fairly pleasant. Casimir decided to let the non-issue rest, he had much bigger things to worry about.

Right when he was about to ask what the flashing lights were, three men in absolutely no hurry at all ambled over. They were deep in discussion about something, it was probably to do with why they were so late, Casimir assumed. When they were within earshot, he could hear their excited tones. They were gushing about meeting someone, and Casimir only needed one guess to find out who it was they had bumped into on their way here.

"Mr Meusil, our deepest apologies for being late!" the leftmost man said when they had finally arrived.

"Yes, please forgive our tardiness young sir," the central one said solemnly

"When we saw your sister, well, time just seemed to stand still!" the man on the right beamed

Casimir shared a look with Ethan, who subtly nodded back. Time to put that advice to use.

"I get it. It's been more than five years since her victory tour. You must have missed her." He bowed in the traditional Fire Nation manner, and the three men returned it in kind.

"You have to tell us all about her while we remake you for Alana," one of them said, as they stood up straight.

"I'd love to!" he said a little too enthusiastically, "and who is Alana?"

"Oh, she's your stylist. We'll have to rush you a bit, or she'll be furious about being kept waiting…" the trio looked uneasy, and Casimir wondered what kind of person this Alana was.

"But you'll be easy to work with, I'm sure! Cut from the same cloth as your sister."

"That's really nice of you to say. Shall we?" Casimir gestured in the direction Ursule had disappeared to, assuming that he'd be going somewhere similar.

"Let's" the three said in unison, which made everyone laugh, including Ethan.

"I'll see you after the parade, Mr Meusil," he said, excusing himself with a bow.

The prep team, who introduced themselves with names Casimir had already forgotten, had taken the male tribute behind a curtain on the far side of the long grey room. They got him to change into a loose gown and- before any treatment started- a tall woman with a camera slung around her neck and tripod in hand came in.

"Stand up with your back against the wall," she droned.

"So that's what the flash was…" he murmured, following the bored photographer's instructions.

"Chin up. Shoulders back. Give me your best blank stare."

Casimir complied. The photographer took 3 separate shots. After the last one he had lightspots in his vision. From what he could tell, the woman was fiddling with her lens cap.

"Is that it?"

"You'll see me again in your ostrich-horse drawn chariot, if you're on time that is." And with that, she pulled the curtain aside and left.

The next couple of hours were among the most uncomfortable in Casimir's young life. His prep team were not gentle with him. Perhaps they would have been if they weren't in such a hurry. He was stripped naked, washed, waxed, plucked, moisturised, conditioned, and had his teeth bleached whiter than he'd ever known them to be. Throughout the whole ordeal he was asked question after question about home life with Jena: what she was like before the Games, what her favourite foods were, if she was seeing anyone… He answered them all as best as he could, short of outing his sister as a lesbian like he did with Ursule on the train. He don't know why he did that. He resolved to apologise to Jena for it when he next saw her.

At the end of it all, Casimir was plagued by a stinging sensation all over his skin, and the deep regret of not grabbing something to eat like Ethan had suggested. The Remake Centre was pretty quiet now that everyone else was done being treated. It would have been silent, but his prep team was in the middle of being chewed out by a fierce sounding individual on the other side of the curtain. He could hear pretty much everything- their excuse about bumping into Jena wasn't going down well- but he wasn't paying much attention to it. His thoughts were on the women he came to the Capitol with. He was wondering how the both of them were holding up. How weird it must be for Ursule, being worked on by people who used their firebending to alter the heat of the water coming out of the showerhead. How stifling it must be for Jena, having to play the proud Victor, having to pretend that she's pleased her brother had been reaped. It bothered him that his sister had to deal with all this just for his sake, and it didn't exactly please him that Ursule was so uncomfortable either. It was this state that Alana finally walked in on: Casimir biting his lip, his worried gaze fixed on the ceiling. Wasting no time, she bent a plume of fire over his face, close enough to feel the heat.

"WOAH!" he cried.

"We don't have time for small talk. Get up and come with me." Alana ordered.

After that display, Casimir had no intention of disobeying. He quickly got up from the gurney and lowered himself into a bow, which wasn't returned. The woman wore a caped playsuit in a blue so dark it could easily be mistaken for black, and her hair was dyed a harsh white right down to the roots. When Casimir stood up straight again, she gave him an amused look.

"Do they still bow in the Districts?" she asked, turning on her heel and walking out of the curtained area.

"Uh…"

"Either speak up or get real close. Whatever works for you, Tribute." She called behind her.

Casimir jogged to catch up with her, sparing a quick thank you for the prep team. He hadn't looked in a mirror yet, but he assumed he looked better now than he ever had before in his life. His steps were a tad wobbly after laying down for hours, but he managed. Bare feet slapping against the cold, grey floor, he got into step with his stylist.

"No, we don't do much bowing back home. Only for special occasions like graduation or whatever." He replied eventually, a little out of breath.

"Then why," she swiped a card at the wall, "did you waste any time performing one?" without breaking her stride, she walked through the door at the end of the long hallway.

The scent of ostrich horse was hot and heavy in the large room that the corridor had opened up into. It was new to Casimir; in District 5, everyone walked everywhere. Intra-District transport was reserved for Peacekeepers. There was earth here, something that put the boy instantly at ease. Ursule was sure to be in a better mood with all this earth around. This was slightly offset by the presence of two dozen Peacekeepers, some of whom were carrying some scary-looking guns.

"They're just stun guns," Alana sighed, "you didn't answer my question"

"Um… You said that we didn't have any for small talk?" Casimir reasoned.

"And yet here we are, talking small." She retorted.

She led him to a side room with hardly anyone noticing. The one person who did was another tribute, who Casimir guessed was from District 4, seeing as they were dressed in blood red fishing nets.

"You're certainly cutting it fine," a man's voice said, as Alana had to practically drag a gawking Casimir into the dressing room. The space was small and square. There were two vanity mirrors side by side on the back wall, their seats currently occupied. The chairs swivelled around at the sound of the door opening, revealing a remade Ursule and her stylist

"You know my prep team, Mak. They're distractible," she replied curtly, giving the boy a sidelong glance. Ursule's stylist looked amused.

"You could always look for a new group to take their place," he offered.

"Despite their faults, they do a good job," she shoved Casimir towards the mirrors. "Take a look for yourself, Tribute."

Ursule raised an eyebrow at the omission of his name, but otherwise said nothing. The boy smiled shyly at her stylist who graciously moved to the side to give him a better look. His forehead wrinkled in surprise. The reflection wasn't unrecognisable, but it was startlingly different. His brown hair was shaved down to the scalp on the left side of his head, leaving him with a lopsided Mohawk of sorts. His eyebrows were tidy and sharp, his skin as clear as a new-born's, and his teeth were a blinding white. They didn't call it the remake centre for nothing. He looked perfect and pure…

' _Like a sacrificial lamb.'_

He vaguely registered that he was guided into the chair. Alana got to work on further improving his image with some makeup. Before long his face was sharper, cheek and jawbones becoming more prominent, bags under his eyes vanishing. In his periphery he saw Ursule pointedly ignoring her stylist, and couldn't help but wonder if she had been like this since he last saw her. He smiled at the image of her pretending not to hear a word her prep team said for hours as they worked on her, only to receive a pinch from Alana for wrinkling her canvas.

"Keep still, Tribute. We're almost done."

"S-sorry Alana," he said, resisting the urge to rub his arm.

"It's kind of barbaric, how they gift-wrap us like this," Ursule said to no one in particular. She was taking in her own reflection for the umpteenth time, trying to connect herself to the person that she saw in the mirror. They did not look like they were 14 years old at all. They looked as if they had fought their way to the Capitol and come out on top, not driven here by train. All the softness in their faces was gone, they looked battle-ready and intimidating. How her prep team and stylist had managed such a feat with chemical scrubs, hair removal and make-up, she didn't know. But what she _did_ know was how it made her feel.

"An earthbender calling us barbaric?" her stylist laughed, not unkindly, "That's definitely some food for thought."

Ursule rolled her eyes. Abhimakar probably thought she was talking to him. As if she'd ever willingly initiate a conversation with his people. Sure, she probably got the more agreeable stylist out of the two, but she wasn't about to get all chummy with a firebender.

Just then, there was a lazy knock on the door.

"Are you decent?" droned a voice Casimir recognised as the photographer.

The room's four occupants shared a look. The teenagers were both still in their hospital-like gowns.

"Give us 5 minutes," Alana called back, adding some final touches to her tribute's face and neck.

"Whatever. The parade starts in 10 minutes, just in case you were wondering."

Once Alana was done, the stylists wasted no time getting their tributes into their outfits. Identical in style, the outfits were essentially form-fitting black jumpsuits. It was a very simplistic design. The suits, as Alana and Abhimakar explained, would be putting on a lightshow in response to the music. They were warned that it would be very bright, and were given a pair of thick sunglasses to wear to protect their eyes.

"These aren't just sunglasses," Abhimakar began, "there's an earpiece attached to one of the arms. You'll hear us through them, instructing you on how to present yourself to the public."

The two teens nodded in understanding.

"They're kind of bulky, they needed to be so that you could hear us over the crowd. You'll have to put your hoods up to keep them out of sight." Alana said. She opened the door for the photographer, who wasted no time taking photographs of the finished products. By the time she was done, there were only 2 minutes before the parade would be under way. Casimir and Ursule's stylists took a lift to a viewing box, and some attendants rushed the tributes onto their chariot.

These ostrich-horse drawn chariots were a gleaming combination of red and gold. Each one had a different pattern and, lined up together as they were from 1 to 12, they almost resembled a dancing flame. The duo might have noticed it if they weren't in such a hurry. What drew their attention was not the chariots, but their riders. The tributes from 1 through 4 had eyes on them, and Casimir was reasonably certain that the ones behind them did too. While he tried to act uninterested behind the mask of his sunglasses, Ursule did the exact opposite. She removed her shades, pulled down her hood, and returned the stare. The boy in blood red fishing nets was the first to look away, and his partner soon followed. The Careers put up more of a fight, but before long the shuttered archway was opened, forcing them to turn around and put their game faces on.

Bright beams of artificial light sliced into the staging area, prompting Ursule to quickly replace her sunglasses. An attendant at the gate blew a whistle that cut across the noise, and then they were suddenly in motion. A stretch of paved road about 100 metres long appeared before them with hovering cameras waiting for them at regular intervals. District 1's tributes squared up as they led the procession, adorned in gold and silver. They waved as hard as the dared, careful not to rattle the heavy jewellery on their wrists and arms.

"Hey, Tribute," a voice spoke.

Casimir and Ursule whipped around to look at each other, spying their reflections in one another's glasses.

"Did you just…" Ursule began.

"…call me 'Tribute'?" Casimir continued.

" _Spirits_. The two of you aren't as smart as you look," the voice spoke again, sounding exasperated. "I called you. Me. Alana. Are you with me now?"

Ursule was seething. Instead of growling something that would surely lose her sponsors, she hummed in confirmation.

"Yeah, we're with you." Casimir said, facing forward again. District 2's chariot had just rolled into the view of the audience and they were doing much more than simply waving. The boy was showcasing some earthbending forms, but they looked a little off. The girl was clapping and cheering him on.

"Ugh, show-off." Ursule scoffed.

"What's he doing?" Casimir asked.

"Look at that camera," she replied plainly.

Casimir looked back in their direction. There was a floating camera creeping closer and closer to the tributes from 2. It was behaving oddly though, the little thrusters were working hard to propel it in the opposite direction. It looked like it was being pulled by some invisible rope. Casimir's squinting eyes widened in realisation.

"Metalbending…" he murmured.

"You'd think these people would have the foresight to plate these things with platinum," Ursule said, shaking her head.

The third chariot was now in the Capitol's field of vision, but not many of them noticed. District 2's tributes had their attention with their ongoing live video selfie stunt. Extreme close ups of their faces were on holovision screens in the stands, even the pair District 1 had glanced back to see what all the commotion was.

"Listen up District 5."

"We're listening. What's our move?" Ursule demanded. The feedback from the earpiece tickled her ear.

"Everyone here is going to try and upstage everyone else," Alana said. "Not you. Your job is to do nothing more than lean back and look as unbothered as possible,"

"Is unbothered even a word?" another voice asked, one they recognised as Ursule's stylist. "Because it doesn't sound like a word to me,"

"Fuck off, Mak. As I was saying, give the impression that everything and everyone here is beneath you. Let your jumpsuits do the work."

"Sounds good to me," Casimir replied. He wasn't too keen on making a spectacle, so this was ideal.

"Alright, you're up next."

The ostrich horses' slow trot brought Ursule and Casimir out of the cavernous staging area and onto the brilliantly lit road. The cheering was nothing compared to what they heard at the train station. Not so much in terms of volume- though one hundred thousand people cheering was nothing to scoff at- but the feeling behind it. Casimir shivered. It was downright bloodthirsty. To their left and right, rows of Capitol citizens stood up from their seats. Some roared, some whooped, and others went as far as to let loose the breath of fire in their excitement. It was terrifying. But under orders from his stylist, he betrayed none of his fear. He hoisted himself onto the lip of the chariot and sat there, facing backwards. Ursule opted for simply leaning with her back against it, looking out at all the tributes slowly trundling out onto the road behind them.

Then the light show began.

The duo couldn't hear the melody of the music that was being played in the rafters, but they could hear the beating _thump-thump_ of the bass. So could their clothing, it seemed. Blindingly bright light burst from their jumpsuits in time with the drum beat. Hundreds of LEDs weaved into the fabric radiated fiery colours that actually distracted District 6's ostrich horses enough to make them veer off slightly to the side. Ursule yawned, which gave the impression that she was bored, but in reality her costume heating up was making her drowsy. With all the energy the lights were pumping out, she was now comfortably insulated against the early evening chill.

"Casimir," Abhimakar buzzed in his ear, "you should switch positions. If you stay like that any longer, you'll begin to look like a statue."

In response, the boy slipped down from his perch and faced forward, resting his elbows on the hand rests and propping his head up with a loose fist.

"Perfect. Ursule, would you mind flipping off that camera to your left? The one that's coming in close?"

"My pleasure," she murmured, barely moving her lips.

"Keep it casual, Tribute." Alana added.

"Yes ma'am," she retorted sarcastically, lazily raising a hand with her middle finger extended.

Low laughter could be heard amongst the cries of the crowd as Ursule kept her hand aloft.

"Nice work! Cas, offer her your fist to bump without looking." Abhimakar said.

Casimir did as he was asked, and Ursule's offending hand made contact soon after.

"Congratulations, you just secured the youth vote." Alana said dryly

' _Well, all the ones that District 2 didn't snatch up first anyway_.' Casimir thought.

All the chariots and their tributes were visible now, and the first half were almost at the President's podium. There was nothing more for the stylists to say, so the connection was cut off. Ursule removed the heavy earpiece from her sunglasses and shoved it in her pocket.

"Finally, I can take this hood off." Ursule moaned. "This lightbulb costume is making me sweat so much."

Casimir glanced back at her, really looking at what had been changed about his fellow tribute. She'd had her hair dyed, so that it was a light brown at the roots and black at the tips, but beyond that nothing looked unnatural or out of place. If anything, it was as if her prep team had unearthed her fighter's spirit. He felt like he was looking at something close to the real Ursule for the first time. Remembering he was on camera, Casimir faced forward again just as their ostrich horses came to rest. They had been parked in a large cul-de-sac with a tall, curved wall. At the top of the wall stood the President, with a handful of VIPs seated behind her, one of which Casimir currently had his eyes locked on.

"Jena…"

Ursule turned around and followed his gaze. "Jena's up there? With the _President?_ "

She must have felt their eyes on her, because she looked up from her folded hands and gave them a reassuring smile.

"Ethan wasn't joking about the whole fame thing,"

"You can say that again."


End file.
